LESSON 3 ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST

Transcription

1 LESSON 3 ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15) 13

2 LESSON 3. ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST CONCEPT OF THE PICTURE 1. Jesus Standing between the Scrolls of B.C. and A.D. World history was separated into two eras by Jesus Christ. 2. Four Scrolls There are four facts established as evidence to prove that Jesus Christ is different from any other man in history. 3. First Scroll The prophecy in the Old Testament (1)The Prophets Pointing at the Star Prophets in the Old Testament foretold the coming of Christ, and all the prophecies were fulfilled. 4. Second Scroll Testimony by Christ himself ( 1)The Cross and Gavel Christ was crucified because he claimed himself to be God. 5. Third Scroll Testimonies by his disciples (1)A Lamb without Blemish or Defect Christ committed no sin in his entire life. (2)A Scales that Holds a Man and the Earth Jesus claimed that man's life is more valuable than the whole world. (3)Lazarus Wrapped in Cloths Christ performed many miracles in his life. (4)The Cross Christ acted in love until his death on the cross. (5)Empty Tomb Christ rose from the dead. 6. Fourth Scroll Testimonies by historical facts (1)Rejoicing Disciples The cowardly disciples were changed instantly. (2)Church Building The church was born. 7. Three Tombs in Barren Land Among the founders of the world's four largest religions, three of them were buried in their tombs and never rose from the dead. Christ lives! 8. Christ Inviting People Christ is alive today and can save people. 9. People Coming Close to Heaven through Christ Even today many people are receiving eternal life through Christ. 14

3 LESSON 3. ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST INTRODUCTION There is no one who has influenced the history of the world more than Jesus Christ, and there is no one more misunderstood. Jesus is the Greek pronunciation of Joshua in Hebrew, which means "The Lord who saves." Christ is the Greek pronunciation of Messiah in Hebrew, which means "Anointed One" or "Savior." 1. World history was separated into two eras by Jesus Christ. Historians thought that Christ was the right person to separate world history into two eras. The era before Christ's birth is called B.C. (Before Christ), and the era after his birth A.D. (Anno Domini), which means "the Year of The Lord." 2. There are four facts established as evidence to prove that Jesus Christ is different from any other man in history. Faith begins with knowing. Believing without examining the facts is fanaticism. Disbelief of fact is unfaithfulness. Receiving the fact as it is, that is faith. Of course, it is impossible to examine all the facts, and the nature of faith is to believe the unseen. What 'knowing' here means is to understand the evidence that is trustworthy. Faith and logic do not oppose but coexist. Let us consider the four facts that show Jesus is a trustworthy person. Prophecy in the Old Testament Testimony by Christ himself Testimonies by his disciples Testimonies by historical facts 3. The prophecy in the Old Testament (1)Prophets in the Old Testament foretold the coming of Christ, and all the prophecies were fulfilled. First Messianic Prophecy "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15) 15

4 The Prophecy that the Messiah would be born from the tribe of Judah "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." (Genesis 49:10) The prophecy that the Messiah would be born from the line of David "When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." (2 Samuel 7:12, 13) The prophecy that the Messiah would die for man "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:5, 6) The prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2) 4. Testimony by Christ himself (1)Christ was crucified because he claimed himself to be God. This man said, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6), and declared, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25) Also, he forgave man's sin (Mark 2:5) and insisted that he existed before Abraham. (John 8:58) Who else other than Christ could have made such daring declarations? Christ was judged and crucified because of these declarations of his deity. (Matthew 26:62-66) 5. Testimonies by his disciples (1)Christ committed no sin in his entire life. Peter, who spent the entire three years with Christ, witnessed as follows. It is an extraordinary statement. 16

5 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:22, 23) (2)Jesus claimed that man's life is more valuable than the whole world. People were moved by the wonderful teachings of Christ, especially his deep love and compassion for man. He claimed that man's life is more valuable than the whole world (Matthew 16:26a), and when dealing with all kinds of sinners, he never humiliated any of them. (3)Christ performed many miracles in his life. Evidence that Christ is the Son of God are his miracles. He drove out demons, healed illnesses, raised the dead, and ruled over nature. To those who stand on the premise of atheism without any proof and deny any kind of miracle, Christ's miracles must be hard to understand. However, those who examine all data from a neutral position will find miracles to be very powerful evidence for belief in Christ. (4)Christ acted in love until his death on the cross. Christ showed his love in a practical way that was beyond man's understanding. This is the love of God. No man can pray as Christ did on the cross. "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." (Luke 23:34) "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:9, 10) (5)Christ rose from the dead. The cowardly disciples were changed instantly to a group of bold evangelists because Jesus rose from the dead. Just as the independence of the Israelites is based on the historical event of Exodus, the birth of the Christian church is based on the historical event of Christ's resurrection. It is impossible to explain the birth of the church with anything other than the resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). 17

6 6. Testimonies by historical facts (1)The cowardly disciples were changed instantly. "But Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.'" (Acts 4:19, 20) (2)The church was born. The first church was born on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven and poured the Holy Spirit, which was the Father's promise, upon the disciples. As a result, the church was born. 7. Among the founders of the world's four largest religions, three of them were buried in their tombs and never rose from the dead. Christ lives! Judaism Abraham (His tomb is in Hebron) Islam Muhammad (His tomb is in Medina in Saudi Arabia.) Buddhism Buddha (His bones and ashes were spread to eighty thousand temples.) 8. Christ is alive today and can save people. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 3:18) 9. Even today many people are receiving eternal life through Christ. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) 18